Laurie Anderson

Tributes poured in from all corners of the globe after Lou Reed died Sunday at the age of 71. Now, the woman closest to the legendary rocker – his wife, Laurie Anderson – has penned her own short, poignant remembrance: an obituary in their local newspaper.

"Last week I promised Lou to get him out of the hospital and come home to Springs, [N.Y.]. And we made it!" Anderson, 66, wrote in The East Hampton Star of her fellow musician and partner of 18 years, whom she wed in 2008.

"Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature," she added. "He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air."

Legendary rocker Lou Reed married his longtime girlfriend, musician Laurie Anderson on April 12 in a quiet ceremony in Boulder, Colo. The couple, who has been together since 1995, held a quiet ceremony with two witnesses, Reed's rep confirms to PEOPLE.

"It was very low-key," the rep says of the ceremony, which was first reported by the New York Post.

On April 18, the newlyweds had a gathering of their closest friends to celebrate the union. Guests included director Julian Schnabel, music producer Hal Willner, and Law & Order: SVU star Richard Belzer.

"It was exactly what they wanted – an intimate gathering among friends," the rep says. – Steve Helling